


Trust Me

by CsillaDream



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Allura runs on Starbucks, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bar Owner Allura, Bar Owner Coran, Bartender Keith, Bartender Lance, Bartenders, Chef Hunk, Conspiracy Theorist Pidge & Keith, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Divorce, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay Keith (Voltron), Human Allura (Voltron), Human Coran (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Minor Alfor/Coran (Voltron), Movie Nights, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nervous Lance babbles, Nostalgia, Pining Lance (Voltron), Same-Sex Marriage, Strict Bartender Keith, Text messaging, Unhappy marriage, haggling, office affair, playful banter, police officer shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CsillaDream/pseuds/CsillaDream
Summary: Focused on their jobs, Keith and his husband's schedules have become so skewed that they only ever see each other when the other is asleep -which is fine. Years of this routine, both of them have accepted this. Its the way things have always been. Its them, its fine...Or is it?What happens when an old friend from Keith's past shows up and makes him question just  "how fine" he actually is with his life?





	1. never thought we'd be here

**Author's Note:**

> a little something I've been working on, I'm actually writing the third chapter currently and have been holding off on posting this because I've been too anxious of failing anyone ;-;
> 
> I apologize if updates are slow or something...

The house was silent when Keith arrived, no surprise: he had stayed late, hoping to catch up on some paperwork with Allura and Coran. He's constantly surprised that either of them are able to handle the mountain of endless documents that comes their way.

 

Dropping his keys as quietly as he can manage in the wooden dish beside the door, Keith toes off his shoes – grateful that tonight no one had puked on them. Again. He really didn't have the energy to stay up much longer. He ascended the stairs, praying that the one stupid step that his husband still hadn't gotten the chance to fix, wouldn't wake him. Being a police officer is never easy, especially when there's a chance of being woken up in the middle of the night by a tip.

 

Relief flooded his veins as Keith reached the second floor, only a few more feet until he could collapse on their bed. Discarding his button-up at the hamper by the bedroom door, it wasn't long before his pants and socks followed suit. Another thing he was grateful for was that his husband was already in deep slumber so easing into the empty side of the bed shouldn't wake the other man.

 

Sleep came quickly for Keith, whose eyes fluttered shut the moment he exhaled after his head hit the pillow.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next morning, Keith found himself under the duvet and curled up to the empty side of the bed. His pale fingers stretched out, feeling the cold fabric beneath his tips: it must be nearing noon or something. Pushing himself into a sitting position, Keith took a sideways glance at his husband alarm clock – sure enough the neon digits read '1:15 pm' meaning his husband had left for work almost seven hours ago. Stretching his arms over his head, popped a few of his joints, before he staggered out of bed and into the adjourning bathroom. A shower was the best way to wake-up next to coffee.

 

Discarding the last article of clothing, Keith promptly turned the shower on before stepping in as his mind poised a question:

 

_How long has it been?_

 

The thought plagued him as he let the hot water create streams down his sleepy body. Scrubbing the fatigue from his eyes, Keith ducked his head under the water as he pedaled back in his memories: how long has it been since they had done anything together? A year? Two? Keith couldn't even remember anymore, their schedules have become so skewed that nights like last were all they had.

 

Shaking his head, he concluded that thinking about it would do nothing, Keith turned off the water and immediately reached for a towel before stepping out of the shower. Using his husband's towel, Keith rubbed the material over his head vigorously before deeming it dry enough to head back into his bedroom.

 

Padding over to the dresser where his phone sat, plugged in -a deed his husband had done before heading out for work- with a few notifications from various applications. Opting for any text messages he missed while sleeping, Keith rolled his eyes as he saw a new text from his boss, Allura. At 9am. Only she could leave the bar at 4am, drive the ten minutes home, and somehow wake up before noon.

 

_I have a couple interviews for today_

_and really would appreciate your help_

_deciding on new staff members._

 

Texting back a short 'what time do you need me there' Keith placed his phone back down before meandering over to his closet. For the time, he's known Allura – the girl preferred doing interviews a few hours prior to opening before allowing the ones she was considering to show her what they can do, meaning Keith would be judging a new person behind his bar. He could use the extra help, but it isn't his fault that everyone that passes Allura's interview doesn't hold up when they're up against Keith's judgment.

 

A short buzz arrived as he was sliding into a black button-up, padding over as he buttoned the shirt up, he saw the screen light up with Allura's name. Pausing in his actions, Keith swiped a finger over the screen:

 

_And please no funny business!_

_Keith, you need the help behind_

_the bar! I cannot have you overworking_

_yourself and that's final! See you at 3_

 

Rolling his eyes again, Keith went back to getting dressed -folding up his sleeves, slipping on a pair of black slacks, and tying his hair up in a messy ponytail- as he mentally noted that his boss must have quite a few since they don't open until 5 during the week. Usually they get one person every so often.

 

Grabbing his phone off the charger, Keith headed out but not without locking the door on his way out. He was reaching the end of his neighborhood when he decided to order ahead for coffee, opting for getting Allura and Coran one as well. The two have probably been at the bar since shortly after they woke up, Keith applauded their dedication to the bar Allura's father had left his daughter and widowed husband.

 

He would reach the local Starbucks in five minutes and it would only be five more minutes before he reached his workplace. Luckily for Keith, by the time he pulled up to the drive-thru: all the drinks were ready for pick-up and soon he was pulling into the parking lot of his workplace. He could hardly believe that almost twelve hours he was doing last call on the staggering remains of last night's crowd.

 

Pushing the front open with his back and elbow, Keith greeted the primarily empty space before him: “Hey, I'm here… brought you guys some coffee,”

 

“Ah, you're a godsend” Allura hurried over to him, giving him a short cheek kiss before running back the way she came.

 

Chuckling, “And you say I'm an addict,” Keith passed the other extra coffee to Coran, who stood behind the bar taking stock of what they were beginning to run low on.

 

“Why thank you, number three” The orange-mustached man grinned before his gaze fell back to the clipboard he had previously been working on. With just one coffee in his hands, Keith met up with Allura in the back – hoping to get a peek at his possible new coworkers.

 

He could see Allura talking to a lanky brunette when he stepped into the bar's backroom, something about the motion of the lanky man's arm as he chatted with his boss felt familiar -almost nostalgic. Taking a large sip of his coffee, his eyes glanced over the others who sat waiting their turns. Most of them seemed like the most they could make is a barely passable rum & coke, but one caught his eye: a dark-skinned man with a tattoo sleeve and a long mane of silky white hair that was tied back.

 

“Ah~ Keith, I know you just arrived but Coran should almost be done at the counter so I'd like it if you could help me with the next part,” Violet eyes flashed back over to acknowledge his boss's suggestion, a small nod -after all, this is why he came in early anyways.

 

As Allura turned to explain in further detail the next part of the interview process, Keith headed to the bar. His haven. His home away from home. Setting his coffee on the back counter between two hardly used bottles of rum. A fond smile spread on his face, those two bottles were absolute favorites of two of his regulars – who came in and never failed to order a glass from their bottles while playfully berating the other for his awful taste.

 

“…although its not me, you must impress this time but The Five Lions's respected bartender and I warn you now: he's not an easy person to get a compliment from” Allura finished as she gracefully walked over to the counter, resting her hand on the polished wood.

 

Keith could see the look of uncertainty wash over most of the people in front of him, clearing his throat: “Alright, in order to prove yourselves I'm going to have you step up and make one simple drink: a Daiquiri”

 

He would lying if he didn't take enjoyment in the relief that flooded their eyes or the soft: “ruthless” he heard Allura whisper as a smile tugged at her features. She had seen him do this 'simple drink' test on other applicants and so far: no one had passed this test.

 

Keith stepped aside, taking a seat on one of the stools, as the applicants made their way to where he had previously been standing. He waited on bated breaths for the question he always received: “Uh, where's your measuring spoons?” and just like that, an applicant spoke up.

 

“The Five Lions sees approximately a dozen or so people a second, as a bartender here: you won't always have the time to measure everything out so-”

 

“Done!” Someone from the far end bellowed out, Keith wasn't sure if he was more surprised that someone actually attempted it in the few moments of conversation or irritated that he had been interrupted. Regardless he hopped off his spot and headed over to the readied drink on the counter: he eyed it carefully.

 

The glass was clear of any extra liquid, no evidence of splashing, which was something Keith prided himself on. There was no lime juices sliding down the glass from the fruit perched on the rim. Appearance-wise the drink was flawless, but he knew from experience: appearance isn't everything. Taking a small sip of the drink, it took all of his mentality not to spit it back out and throw it in the applicant's face.

 

“Disgusting, too much lime juice and definitely not shaken enough” He concluded before Coran escorted the disheartened applicant out. He could hear a few applicants bustling while others stared on with renewed fear, it went without saying that Keith is a perfectionist when it comes to his job and has found himself more than once needing to _eyeball_ his measurements. With practiced ease, of course.

 

He took a sideways glance at the applicants, who hadn't allowed fear of failure stop them. The lanky brunette that Allura had been talking with when he arrived, the dark-skinned man that Keith had been eying earlier, and a blonde who he hadn't even noticed within the group but he could see the fire in her eyes.

 

“If the rest of you aren't going to try, you might as well leave as well” Keith's remark had the rest of the fearful applicants sharing a look before reluctantly stepping away from the counter and leaving with their heads hanging in resignation.

 

Taking a seat in a stool again, Keith watched as the three remaining worked on their drinks. The raven knew that if someone merely attempted to _think_ outside the box, anyone could make a passable attempt at a drink without measuring.

 

“Here, I think this will be more to your liking” The blonde stepped up, setting the drink in front of Keith as she rested her other on her hip. Confidence oozed from her posture -a quality that Keith personally respected. Any able bartender should always have confidence in their skills.

 

Violet eyes dropped to the glass, confidence aside: the drink wasn't as neat in appearance as the prior one, but there was a definite grace to how the lime was seated on the rim of the glass. Taking a small sip, Keith's tongue was greeted with a sugary swill that he couldn't stop himself from gagging. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “I don't even want to know what you did… You're done,”

 

“Hey man, not cool! You can't be expecting us to make amazing fucking drinks without proper tools,” The brunette chimed in, leaning over the counter to glare daggers at him.

 

“You wanna join her out the door?” Keith glared back, noticing the finished glass in front of the lanky man. Snorting, “Let's see how yours did,” the raven gave no further warning before he downed the brunette's drink. The taste that greeted Keith surprised him, it wasn't perfect but-

 

“not bad,” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he had a chance to lock them away, even Allura had a look of absolute astonishment as her gaze blinked over to him.

 

The shit-eating grin that spread on the lanky man's face as Keith realized his mistake, which was short-lived as Allura took over: “Guess we have our new staff member~ welcome aboard, Lance” leaning over shaking the hands of the lanky man. Wait!

 

“L-Lance…?!”

 

“Took you a while, mullet”

 

“M-Mullet??”

 

“Do you two know each other?” Allura chirped, intrigued with the sudden atmosphere change between the two men.

 

Not missing a beat, Lance flashed her an award-winning smile: “We were like rivals in high school, Lance and Keith neck and neck,”

 

“Really?”

 

Someone cleared his throat from the sidelines, startling the trio from the banter they had fallen into. Keith's eyes glanced over to see the dark-skinned man, shuffling away: “Looks like I've lost,”

 

Allura stood up from her perch on the stool, picking up her what remains of her coffee: “I'll walk you out,”

 

“You really don't need to,”

 

“I want to,” And with that note of stubbornness, the duo headed for the door while Keith and Lance shared a glance before chuckling at Allura's obvious interest in the other man.

 

Mirth settling into his chest, Keith cleared his throat: “I guess I should officially welcome you to The Five Lions, Lance”

 

“And I guess I'll have to get used to non-emo Keith,”

 

“Oh god! Please don't remind me… Ya know I _still_ have that crop jacket, the one I wore all-”

 

“You do?! Shit, that's hilarious!! Though, I guess I can't really tease you too much – remember that stupid finger gun thing I use to do?”

 

“Please tell me, you're kidding”

 

“Nope,” and like a blast from his past, Keith was greeted with high school Lance's signature move before the man in front of him added: “although I only ever do it when I'm nervous-”

 

“You? Nervous? Not possible.”

 

“I'm serious! Even the great Lancelot can suffer from the low-class emotion like nervousness” Lance had always had a flair for the dramatics and although Keith could only ever remember feeling annoyed by his antics, he felt a familiar warmth as he watched Lance further explain about the things that made him nervous.

 

“-and don't even get me started on how nervous I fucking was, applying for this job. Heard that one of bartenders here was an asshole with a giant stick up his ass? Tho I guess, that would be you” a light chuckle easing the small spark of irritation in Keith, “I wasn't even sure if that was you for a moment, you've really come out of your shell but I guess working here would do that to someone, even if that someone is-”

 

“Lance, relax… Yeah, I've changed a bit” Keith cracked a smile as he recalled Lance's habit of rambling to fill in a silence that he feared was awkward.

 

“I can see that, but ya wanna know who hasn't changed? Hunk and Pidge,” at the mention of their two other friends from high school, Keith visibly perked up: he had lost contact with everyone when he went off to college. Pushing away that thought, he listened as Lance continued on: “Hunk can still make food that rivals my mama's, though please never tell her I said that. She'd beat my ass then shovel some of her amazing cooking down my throat”

 

“Doesn't sound so bad if I recall, your mom always made some pretty amazing food whenever you dragged us all over,”

 

Lance's eyes narrowed, “You know what I mean,” any bite the words were supposed to have was lost as a small smile spread across his features as he tacked on: “As for Pidge, she's still a little gremlin… _although_ you won't believe who they're dating?”

 

“You're kidding…”

 

“Hey, they're an adorable coup-”

 

“I didn't mean it like, I'm just surprised… Tho considering how often they would get into their own little nerdy world and leave us behind whenever we went to the mall-”

 

“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction when they started”

 

“How long have they…?”

 

“I think its been five years,” Lance's response allowed a dark shadow to cast over Keith's features as the raven recalled what had been going on in his own life: his marriage was young and full of laughter, love, and sweet little notes that sure, Keith had found embarrassing but he would be lying if he said he tossed them out. What happened to them?

 

Before any more memories could wash over him, Lance spoke up, his voice shattering the negativity surrounding his coworker: “So ya wanna give me the tour of the bar?”

 

Grateful for the distraction, Keith eagerly joined the brunette behind the bar -his coffee left abandoned on the counter- and began explaining not only where everything was stored, but also _why_ he stored things like this. Lance added his own commentary to Keith's explanation, earning a few deserved jabs that had both of them reeling in nostalgia at the exchange.

 

This felt… nice? The happiest that Keith has felt in a long time, sure he enjoyed working with Allura and Coran and he considered the two of them his friends, but with Lance… With Lance, he wasn't starting from scratch. No awkward attempts at trying to open up with the other. There was history. There was playfulness that the two easily found themselves falling back into. When was the last time he couldn't stop himself from smiling?


	2. too long we've been denying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what does bickering Klance plus pining Lance with a dash of the current inner workings of Keith's marriage equal?
> 
> A new chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I'm 90% sure that the shit Keith pulls at the beginning of this chapter is morally wrong but its a fic so I'm using my wiggle room for that ;D
> 
> also thanks to everyone who gave this fic kudos &commented: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter because there's lots more to get into about Keith's failing marriage!

Over the next few weeks, Lance learned the 'ins&outs' of how things worked at his new job. Lending a helping hand outside of bar-tending, typically offering to stay late to finish paperwork. Ordering and restocking the bar, which required some haggling with the suppliers that The Five Lion uses, something Lance was not all that comfortable with.

 “Please explain to me how 'Mr. Shy and Gloomy' ended up being able to haggle the price of 7 thousand dollars worth of alcohol down to barely 4?” Currently Lance was leaning back across the front part of the counter at the bar, his head peering up at Keith as the raven busied himself with checking over the stock.

 According to him, Halloween was one of their biggest selling days -a night that was only a month away. A night that Lance spent every year being the fifth wheel in his group of friends, but not this year. Nope, this year he would drag Keith along so at least they could 'fifth wheel' together! He just had to find the right time to ask…

 “Some of these idiots should feel blessed to have their mediocre liquor here,”

 “So ya basically charged them for promoting their horse piss?”

 “Exactly,” The way Keith's violet eyes danced with flickers of pride and confidence when he spoke about anything related to his job never ceased to pull up things from Lance's past.

 The way his eyes held that same flicker when he would chat about conspiracies, moth-man, or his motorcycle. Keith never was very outspoken when they went to school together unless it was about one of those previous topics. Or poking fun at Lance's dramatic antics, which at some point were done simply for Keith's reactions. A thing his high school self would vehemently deny, but now…

 

 

…now they're working together and if the past month was anything to go off of: they would spend even more time brushing up against one another. Lance had no one in his life to call his and he was embarrassed to admit to Hunk and Pidge's constant prodding that he spent more than enough time looking for any evidence that Keith had someone. There was no band on his finger, nor evidence that one was ever there. Keith stayed late almost every night to help Allura and Coran with paperwork – he wouldn't do that if he was with someone. Every morning that Lance saw Keith, he had a cup of coffee in his hands leading him to believe that the raven didn't spend a lot of time at home, which also meant no pets. A strong urge to pull Keith back into his life -outside of work- washed over as he continued to watch him work.

 “Did you wanna join us for movie night?”

 “Us?”

 “Me, Hunk, and Pidge”

 “Like old times, huh? Yeah, I'm sure its better than,” he shook his head, it was something Lance noticed Keith did pretty often, before correcting himself: “Yeah, I'd love to but are you sure they would mind? I mean, I lost contact with them years ago… Do they even want to hang out with me?”

 “Trust me, they miss ya. Especially the little gremlin,” the term caused both of them to chuckle as a certain petite freckled-face girl with round glasses came to mind, “I'm sure she misses having someone talk to about her crazy conspiracies-”

 “Lance, I'm 26… I'm not really as much of a conspiracy nut as I used to be,”

 “No, but seriously… They've been asking me to invite you to join our movie nights,”

 “Well then, I guess I'm going… When's the next one?”

 “Tonight, I mean if that's okay… We usually hold them twice a week, each one has a sort of theme but we've been known to repeat themes whenever one of us really wants to”

 Before the brunette could continue rambling, Keith glanced over with a smile playing his features: “I'll go… Did you want to meet up with them after work?” Neither Keith or Lance worked during the weekend, it was something Allura was stubborn about, stating that she had hired someone to work with her at the bar so the boys would be able to have a life outside of the job.

 “Hell yeah! Did you want grab some extra clothes? I'd be lying if I said these things weren't the comfiest in pajamas”

 “What are we 15 again?”

 “Ah, I forgot you're the bartender with the stick up his ass” Lance jabbed as he straightened himself before plopping down in the nearest stool, but Keith's response came the moment he finished:

 “At least I'm not the lazy one, who makes his coworker do everything while he sits on his ass”

 “Yours is too long,”

 “Since when is that a rule?”

 “Now, I just made it up,”

 “You ass,”

 “Just flaunting what my mama gave me,” Keith laughed at Lance's comment, shaking his head as he changed the topic back to the beginning.

 “So pajamas, huh? Did you want to wait for me here and then drive to meet them? Or…?” As he trailed off, Keith seemed to realize that he didn't know about Lance's current living situation. Not that the brunette could blame him, he hadn't explained about his life much outside of work.

 Violet meeting blue eyes, Lance was quick to make an alternate suggestion: “How about we just take your car so you can pick up something comfy to wear and then I'll let you know how to get to their place?”

 “Alright, but what about your car?”

 “Hunk needed the car for some deliveries so I got dropped off today,”

 Not wanting to prod too much, Keith nodded that his suggestion was fine and in a few hours, they climbed into Keith's car and Lance wasted no time changing the radio onto another station, Spanish lyrics flitted through the speakers. Rolling his eyes at the familiar exchange, Keith pulled away from the bar and onto the main road. Aside from the upbeat tunes filling the space in the car, Lance's voice as he chatted about what he's been up to since high school was a pleasant distraction…

 

…until Keith pulled into his neighborhood. With each house he passed, he began to pray Lance wouldn't ask if he could come inside: he _absolutely_ did not want to deal with that can of worms!

Unfortunately that particular fear came to a screeching halt, much like his mind, as his house came into view. As his driveway came into view. A very **UN** empty driveway.

“Just give me like a few minutes,” was the only warning Keith gave as he pulled into the driveway and promptly exited his car. Any complaint Lance might have had were silenced with the slight slam of Keith's car door. Nimble fingers glided over the smooth black coat of his husband's jeep as he power-walked into his house, a thought turned over in his mind: _maybe he could get in and out without his husband noticing._

Any chance of that happening went out the window when Keith opened the front door, just as someone -engrossed in a case file- padded out of their kitchen. His breath hitched in his throat as he stood there, front door slightly ajar. Keith wasn't used to seeing his husband… Awake?

“Keith…?” The baritone voice felt foreign in his ears as the raven straightened himself as he managed a weak, 'hey Shiro' while his husband shut the case file in his hands, appearing slightly off-kilter.

“What are you doing home so early?”

“Just grabbing a change of clothes… another late night with Allura and Coran,”

“I see,” Shiro's fingers played with edge of the case file before adding, “is everything okay with the bar?” a tinge of stiffness in his tone. 

Keith turned his body towards the staircase, “Yeah, everything… uh okay with… work?” he asked as he tried to remember the last time they had asked about each others' day. Back then, Shiro would talk about any cases he was working on, leaving out important details that he decided were 'better Keith didn't know about' and Keith would complain about the drunks at the bar. Or the mountain of paperwork.

 “Yeah,” With a vague motion of his hand, “well I won't keep you… from work, I mean. Uh… have fun, I guess” Shiro headed back into the kitchen, leaving Keith to ascend the steps with his own nagging thoughts.

 Keith hadn't expected his husband to be home-

 

_although normally I'm still at work, helping with paperwork or grabbing a quick drink with Allura and Coran before the bar gets busy_

 

-but then again, what could he possibly know? He was never home when Shiro was awake and Keith could easily recall a few nights when he got home and his husband wasn't even there.

 Shaking his head, Keith quickly stuffed some clothes to lounge into a small travel bag before descending the stairs, fumbling out a short 'I'm off' then just as he was shutting the door: he heard Shiro stammer back, “…bye Keith,”

 Violet eyes swept over to his car, where Lance sat bobbing his head to whatever tunes were playing through his radio. A smile instantly melted away his nagging thoughts as he hurried over, denying any comment that he had seemed a little eager to be back in Lance's company.

 They drove off down the road, Lance bouncing between giving directions and filling Keith's car with useless chatter that even the raven couldn't keep himself from joining. With his unexpected meeting with Shiro pushed to the _far_ edge of his mind, Keith was determined to have fun – even if he still held worry that Hunk and Pidge might not be okay with his sudden appearance.

 “Will you stop worrying, mullet? They're excited to see ya again,”

 

* * *

 

Following Lance's directions, the raven found himself pulling into a cul-de-sac -one his foolish mind added had been one they had considered when Shiro and Keith had first moved to town. Not parked for even a second, Lance was out of his car and already moving to drag him inside.

 “C'mon mullet, would I lie to you?”

His question brought a smug smile to Keith's face as he effortlessly replied, “You mean how you said my hair looks awful tied back? Or how you told Pidge _I_ had _eaten_ -”

 “I get it! I was an idiot teenager!!” He whined, “but I'm not lying now… They're really excited to see you again,” Lance's voice dropped, quivered and for a moment, Keith thought he was trying to make himself smaller.

Nudging him with his shoulder, Keith whispered: “I know you're not… I guess, I'm just… you know, frazzled? Nervous… I don't know,”

 “Trust me, Keith… They're hyped, especially Pidgeon – she won't shut up about discussing conspiracies with you again,” Lance words, spoken with such a comforting tone, dissolved any anxiety currently affecting the raven and caused warmth to blossom in his chest.

He never thought he would ever have the chance to talk with someone, aside from the immature morons he would occasionally chat with online, about conspiracies. Memories of him and his petite best friend staying up late, tossing several conspiracies of their own back and forth until the sun was rising. Memories of them roaming their high school hallways, zombified from a late night conspiracy conversation, while Lance berated them and Hunk looked after them like the mother hen he was. 

By the time, Keith pulled himself away from his memories, Lance was drawing his hand up to promptly rasp it against the light wooden surface. Mild shock washed over the raven as he watched Lance, not even wait for someone to answer his knock and instead opened the door.

 “Hey, I'm here and look who I brought,” He hollered out as he stepped inside the threshold, kicking off his shoes before padding further inside, which left Keith standing awkwardly in the hall for a moment.

Swallowing the lump that had formed, Keith muttered: “Pardon the intrusion,” before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. He could hear voices from further inside, slipping off his shoes nicely, Keith padded towards the source: a cozy kitchen, where Lance stood with his back to him and just beyond him stood two familiar figures.

 "Keith! Hey,” was the only warning Keith got before the other figure whipped around Lance and launched herself at him, a grunt tumbled out of his mouth as the petite girl knocked the air from his lungs.

 “That's what you get for not keeping in touch,” Keith heard her mumble into his stomach as she tightened her arms around him. His eyes dropped to the sandy blond wrapped around his waist before it raised to meet knowing looks from both Lance and Hunk.

It was like a blast from the past, Hunk looked like he hadn't aged since graduation -sure Keith could see the stubble of a five o'clock shadow under the dim florescent lighting, but it was still Hunk, the mother hen of their little group.

 “Hey Hunk,” Filling his lungs with air, Keith's senses were assaulted with mouth-watering aromas and he could feel his body becoming heavy as emotions from his past cascaded over him.

God, he missed this! He had never thought he would miss the smell of Hunk's cooking! When had he forgotten how much he used to look forward to the food his friend would bring in for all of them to share? Swiping the last of the food whenever Lance wasn't looking, how could he have forgotten how much these three meant to his former self?

 “You know if I weren't slightly enjoying watching you turn emo on us, I'd be damn jealous that you recognized these two quicker than me” Not even Lance's smug voice could distract him enough to stop him from wrapping his arms around the girl still holding him.

 “Good to see, Pidge”


End file.
